Skin Deep
Skin Deep Episode Number: Season 1, Episode 12 Directed By: Milan Cheylov Air Date: February 12, 2012 Previous Episode: Fruit of the Poisonous Tree Next Episode What Happened to Frederick "Skin Deep" is the twelfth episode of the American fairy tale/drama television series Once Upon a Time. The series takes place in the fictional seaside town of Storybrooke, Maine, in which the residents are actually characters from various fairy tales that were transported to the "real world" town by a powerful curse. In this episode, Emma Swan suspects Mr. Gold is planning to seek vigilante justice when a cat burglar robs his house. Meanwhile, Mary Margaret plans a special girls' night out on Valentine's Day with Ruby and Ashley, and a fateful deal made between Rumplestiltskin and Belle is revealed – in which she gives up her freedom to save her village from the horrors of the Ogre Wars. The episode was written by consulting producer Jane Espenson and directed by Milan Cheylov. It featured the first appearance of de Ravin, who was cast as Belle in November 2011 after being approached by series co-creators Adam Horowitz and Edward Kitsis. Espenson created a love-themed episode; initially its main theme was to focus on Rumpelstiltskin choosing power over love, but during the writing process Espenson decided to make him instead believe that he was not worthy of love at all. "Skin Deep" first aired in the United States on ABC on February 12, 2012. The episode received mixed reviews from television critics. Several reviewers felt that the Belle-Rumpelstiltskin relationship resembled Stockholm Syndrome and was not developed enough to make it believable. Others, however, praised the complex characterization of the episode's female characters, as well as Carlyle's performance. A novelization of "Skin Deep" was released in 2013. Plot 'Opening Sequence' A straw spinning wheel is shown in the forest. 'In the Character's Past' In The Enchanted Forest, the Ogre Wars continue but are not going well for the lands controlled by Sir Maurice. Rumplestiltskin arrives and agrees to aid the battle in exchange for Maurice's daughter, Belle to be his servant. Belle's fiancée, Gaston, and her father are against the terms but Belle agrees. At his castle, Rumplestiltskin gives Belle a list of tasks, including skinning the children that he hunts for their pelts. At this Belle drops and chips a teacup in shock, but he explains that it is a joke and doesn't mind about the chipped cup. As time goes by, Rumplestiltskin and Belle develop a strong bond with each other. After a few months of living with him, Belle asks the dark one why she found children's clothing upstairs. Rumplestiltskin tells her it belonged to his son whom he unfortunately lost along with his wife. Gaston arrives to take Belle back but Rumplestiltskin turns him into a rose and presents it to her as a gift. When asked about Gaston, Belle says that it was an arranged marriage, not one of love. She left him because she wanted to be heroic and there are not many chances for women to be heroic. Rumplestiltskin asks Belle to go into town to buy more straw, and she cannot believe he trusts her to come back. Rumplestiltskin says he does not expect to see her again. As Belle is walking down the road, she runs into The Evil Queen, who asks her if she is running from someone. Belle admits the man she is leaving is overcome by evil yet she loves him. The Evil Queen offers the solution: true love's kiss will break the curse. Belle returns to Rumplestiltskin's castle and the Dark one asks why she came back to him. She replies that she wasn't going to return but something changed her mind. After a moment of silence between the two, they both share true love's kiss, the magic starts to turn him back into an ordinary man, but becomes furious and shakes off the magic, accusing Belle of conspiring with The Evil Queen. Rumplestiltskin yells in a rage that no one will love him, and The Evil Queen will never take away his power. He throws Belle in his dungeon and smashes every cup against the wall but he cannot bring himself to destroy the chipped one. Once he has cooled off, he tells Belle to leave because his powers are more important to him than she is. Belle admonishes him for not believing she can love him. She warns him that he will regret his actions when all he has is an empty heart and a chipped cup. A month later, The Evil Queen appears; Rumplestiltskin says that her deception with Belle failed, and that The Evil Queen will never be more powerful than him. She then tells him that she had nothing to do with Belle's actions (even though she prodded her, Belle's feelings were real) and informs him that upon Belle's return to her home, she had been shunned by her village for her association with Rumplestiltskin and Gaston's disappearance and was subsequently imprisoned and tortured by her father. She eventually killed herself, leaping off the tower she was kept prisoner in. Rumplestiltskin is devastated and replaces a treasured gold chalice with the chipped cup and weeps over his loss. 'Storybrooke' In the present day, Mr. Gold repossesses florist Moe French's van the day before Valentine's Day. At Granny's Diner, David and Mary Margaret talk from separate tables, until Emma Swan interrupts to ask about Henry Mills. Ashley arrives with her baby, noting how rarely she gets a babysitter or sees her boyfriend, Sean. Ruby suggests a girl's night out. Emma investigates a robbery of Mr. Gold's home, who says he knows that Moe is responsible, seeking revenge for the repossession. Emma recovers the majority of Mr. Gold's items but one thing is missing and he will stop at nothing until it is recovered. He kidnaps Moe, ties him up and beats him, demanding where it is. However, he soon starts saying "she's gone," referring to Belle, until Emma arrives to stop him. Mr. Gold believes Regina put Moe up to the theft and she knows where the last stolen item is. Emma still has to arrest Mr. Gold for kidnapping and assault. Elsewhere, during their girls night out, Ruby is trying to convince Ashley to find another guy since Sean is always working. Ashley tells Mary Margaret that all she wants is to be with Sean. Mary Margaret understands since her own romantic arrangement is not ideal. Sean shows up on a break from work and proposes to Ashley; she accepts and they go out for a drive. David shows up next to give Mary Margret her Valentine, but mistakenly gives her Kathryn's. Mary Margaret says she thought if two people were meant to be together they would find a way, but maybe she and David need another way. She tells him he should probably go home. At the sheriff's office, Mr. Gold reminds Emma about the favor she owes him but he does not use it to ask for his freedom. Regina shows up and tells Emma that she can see Henry for only 30 minutes if she will allow her to visit Mr. Gold. He asks Regina if she has what he wants and she in fact does. Regina put Moe up to the robbery because she wants Mr. Gold to say his real name. After some prodding he admits his name is Rumplestiltskin and addresses Regina as "Your Majesty," confirming that both are aware of their alternate identities. Regina returns the chipped cup to Mr. Gold then makes a visit to the hospital. She goes to see Belle's counterpart, who did not die in the Enchanted Forest, but is now being held prisoner in the hospital's mental ward. Cast Starring *Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret Blanchard *Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan *Lana Parrilla as The Evil Queen/Regina Mills *Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David Nolan/Prince James *Eion Bailey as Pinocchio/August Booth *Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills *Raphael Sbarge as Jiminy Cricket/Archie Hopper *Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold Guest Starring *Emilie de Ravin as Belle *Eric Keenleyside as Sir Maurice/Moe French *Beverley Elliot as Granny *Meghan Ory as Red Riding Hood/Ruby *Tim Phillips as Prince Thomas/Sean Herman *Jessy Schram as Cinderella/Ashley Boyd *Sage Brocklebank as Gaston *Gabe Khouth as Sneezy/Tom Clark *Jarod Joseph as Gus/Billy *Ingrid Torrance as Nurse Ratched Trivia Production Notes= *The opening title card features Rumplestiltskin's spinning wheel. *The director's cut of this episode was sixty minutes long. *In the original cut of the episode, the opening shot was of a messenger dove battling its way through a storm to get to Maurice's castle to deliver the bad news. This, however, turned out to be a difficult CGI task, and the segment got cut. *Adam Horowitz's favorite moment of Belle and Rumplestiltskin is when the couple first meet. He was on set when that scene was filmed. *Avonlea, reported to have fallen during the Ogre Wars, is the name of the fictional Canadian town in Lucy Maud Montgomery's novel Anne of Green Gables. It is also the name of a real-life village in Saskatchewan, Canada, which happens to be near the city of Regina. According to the episode script, Avonlea is two days ride from Maurice's castle. *After Belle says, "He could be on his way right now, papa", Sir Maurice's line was supposed to be, "Our offer must have been too small", which did not make the cut for the episode. *According to the script (and the press release), Mr. Gold's enforcer (only briefly seen in the final episode when the van is taken) is called The Dove. Most of his story was cut from the final episode. *In the episode script, the scene where Belle breaks the Chipped Cup includes a sequence where a messenger dove arrives at Rumplestiltskin's Dark Castle, bringing news about the Ogre War: The Ogres have fallen back, and Belle's family is safe. According to Rumplestiltskin, Ogres are superstitious and greedy, and with a few whispers and some gold, "the deal was done". Belle tries to escape by sneaking out the door only to find herself entering the same room though another door at the opposite side of the room. Rumplestiltskin explains to her that he took some magical precautions to prevent her from leaving. This scene was filmed, but was cut from the final episode. According to Robert Carlyle, it took about two hours to get the dove to land on his finger. *A segment about the story of the Golden Fleece in Rumplestiltskin's castle, was cut from the scene where Belle sits down at the table with Rumplestiltskin. *After Belle comments on the covered mirrors, Rumplestitlskin's line was supposed to be, "There's other reasons why a mirror might be covered", which did not make the final cut of the episode. *The curtsy Rumplestiltskin gave Belle as he gives her the rose was improvised for the scene. *In "The Price of Gold", it is established that Ashley is nineteen years old, yet she is shown drinking in a bar, even though the legal age to purchase and consume alcohol in Maine is 21. *A sequence where Mr. Gold deliberately misleads Emma by sending her on a wild goose chase, before he drives off with a kidnapped Moe French, was filmed, but in the editing room, it was decided that the scene was not really needed for the story. *For the segment where an angry Rumplestiltskin shakes Belle, Robert Carlyle kept asking Emilie de Ravin if she was okay, to make sure that he wasn't pinching her too hard. *Gold's line to Moe French, ""My fault"? What are you talking about, "my fault"?", was Robert Carlyle's idea. *The scene where Mr. Gold beats up Moe French, had to be heavily trimmed down and edited, to make it more family-friendly. *A sequence where it is explained how Emma found out where Mr. Gold was hiding Moe French, was cut from the episode. *According to Jane Espenson, the episode was originally meant to be about about Rumplestiltskin choosing power over love. This eventually evolved into a story where he, rather than choosing power over love, believes that no one could ever love him. *When Belle is banished from Rumplestiltskin's castle, you can see that the tea set and the chipped cup is inside the dungeon with her. A shot where Rumplestiltskin looks down on the cup after Belle leaves, was cut from the episode. *While Jane Espenson wrote the episode, Edward Kitsis wrote Belle's iconic line, "All you'll have is an empty heart and a chipped cup." |-|Goofs= *When Moe French steps out of his florist's van, in the background, you can see the clock tower building, but without the clock tower (the actual clock tower is CGI). *When Mr. Gold runs into Regina on Valentine's Day, Archie Hopper's name is missing from the entrance to the building where his office is located. *When Gaston knocks on the Dark One's castle door, there is a close up on Rumplestiltskin's face, in which his left eye's contact lens is missing. *After Belle sets down the rose on the table and talks to Rumplestiltskin and the camera shifts back and forth between the two, the rose keeps changing positions in the vase though no one is touching it. |-|Other Notes= SCRIPT NOTES *The military adviser who gives Maurice the bad news, is called Philippe. This was the name of Belle and Maurice's Belgian draft horse in the Disney movie Beauty and the Beast. *Avonlea, fallen during the Ogre Wars, is two days ride from Maurice's castle. *Rumplestiltskin picks up the book that Belle is holding in the opening scene, and opens it, revealing the title Her Handsome Hero. The book is re-used in "Family Business", where the title is seen for the first time. *Mr. Gold collects the rent from The Rabbit Hole and Granny's Diner, before he confiscates Moe French's van. *According to the script (and the press release), Mr. Gold's enforcer (only briefly seen in the final episode when the van is taken) is called The Dove. Most of his story was cut from the final episode. *The bow on display in Rumplestiltskin's castle is Cupid's bow, while an arrow sitting on display is Apollo's arrow. *Also, according to the script, the sword on display is meant to be Excalibur. The script also mentions a few objects that are not in the episode: A feather, a signed broomstick and a magic wand. The wand would later appear in "Lacey". *A messenger dove arrives at Rumplestiltskin's castle, and brings news about the Ogre War: The Ogres have fallen back, and Belle's family is safe. According to Rumplestiltskin, Ogres are superstitious and greedy, and with a few whispers and some gold, "the deal was done". Belle tries to escape by sneaking out the door only to find herself entering the same room though another door at the opposite side of the room. Rumplestiltskin explains to her that he took some magical precautions to prevent her from leaving. *At the Dark Star Pharmacy, Mr. Gold receives a phone call from the Dove, and says, "Got him? Good. Slip twenty-three. I'm getting it now. Fifteen minutes." (A reference to two of the Lost numbers). Emma talks to David, who says that he overheard Gold say something about twenty-three minutes on the phone. Emma understands that it's about the docks, and hides there, in the squad car. As Mr. Gold's car pulls up at the dock, she stops it, and opens the door, expecting to see Mr. Gold. Instead, she finds the Dove inside it, and realizes that Gold set her up. *As Mary Margaret is spending time at The Rabbit Hole with Ruby and Ashley, David enters the bar. Archie comes over to him and they have a conversation about David's relationship with Kathryn. David opens up to Archie about his feelings for Mary Margaret, and they watch Mary Margaret, Ruby and Ashley as they interact with the guys at the bar. One of them is Billy. David's phone is heard buzzing as he receives a phone call from Kathryn; the sound is reminiscent of a cricket. As he goes outside to answer the phone, Mary Margaret is seen laughing with a guy, but Ruby pulls her aside. Mary Margaret says that she was just having a drink, but Ruby is sure that's not what he thinks. *In the original episode script, The Evil Queen invites Belle into her carriage. Through filming the scene, it was discovered the carriage could only fit one person. *The jeweled chalice that Rumplestiltskin moves aside is meant to be the Holy Grail. This is also stated by Jane Espenson on the DVD commentary. FILMING LOCATIONS *The Charles Murray Residence, a historic building in New Westminster, doubles as Mr. Gold's home. It is a Queen Anne revival style mansion constructed in 1890 for a local designer and artist. REAWAKENED: A ONCE UPON A TIME TALE *During their girls' night at The Rabbit Hole, Ashley wonders if there is anything new with Dr. Whale and Mary Margaret, but Mary Margaret brushes their one-night stand off as a "huge mistake". *While Mary Margaret and her friends are at the Rabbit Hole, David sits at the bar with Archie in order to check up on her.